Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Wednesday, calling it a career after 15 seasons in the big leagues from 2006-2020.
Kemp was with the Dodgers for 10 of those 15 seasons, and had one of the more memorable career paths for a member of the Dodgers in recent memory.
The Dodgers drafted Kemp in the sixth round, 181st overall in the 2003 MLB Draft, out of Midwest City High School in Oklahoma.
He was a two-sport athlete and was very accomplished as a basketball player, even receiving a scholarship offer to play college basketball for the the University of Oklahoma.
He ultimately chose to play professional baseball for the Dodgers, and ended up making his debut three years later.
Kemp saw his first, albeit limited, Major League action during the 2006 season, playing in 52 games for the Dodgers. He received more playing opportunities the next season and showed immense promise, hitting .342/.373/.521 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 98 games.
Over the next few seasons, he quickly established himself as an impact Major Leaguer after getting a chance to be an everyday player.
His most memorable season with the Dodgers was in 2011 when he earned his first All-Star nod and was just one home run shy of joining the 40 home run, 40 stolen base club.
In total, he hit .324/.399/.586 and an astounding 126 RBI, which was good enough to earn him the National League Hank Aaron Award and a second-place finish in National League MVP voting.
Kemp had trouble finding a team to call home the next few seasons following his trade from the Dodgers to the San Diego Padres before the start of the 2015 season. He had a season and a half long stint with the Atalanta Braves before finding himself back where he started in Los Angeles for the 2018 season.
To a lot of people’s surprise, Kemp had one more special season left in him, and once again found himself as an everyday player for the Dodgers during that 2018 season.
Kemp was one of the driving forces behind a resilient and 2018 Dodgers team that fought through a lot of adversity to make an unlikely run to their second straight World Series.
Kemp also had brief stints with the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies, last appearing in a game during the 2020 season.
He retires as a three-time All-Star with two Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards while hitting .284/.337/.484 with 287 home runs, 184 stolen bases, 950 runs scored and 1,031 RBI.
Matt Kemp advisory role with Dodgers
Kemp continues to be a part of the Dodgers organization following his hiring back in February during Spring Training. While the specifics of his position are unknown, he was seen providing instruction to Miguel Vargas during his transition to the outfield and helping the group of outfielders in general.
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